Sachin getting runs is a good sign, says Gavaskar

Mumbai: Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar on Saturday said that Sachin Tendulkar getting some runs under his belt in the Ranji Trophy match before the upcoming four-Test series against England is a good sign.

Gavaskar was one of those who had said the 39-year-old's mode of dismissals in recent matches was a matter of concern.

"He is one the most hardworking studious guys you come across. I think Sachin would have got enough time to think about how he got out. If he has got the runs now, obviously he has worked hard for it.

"The evidence will be seen in the Test matches. The fact that he has got runs is a good sign," Gavaskar told reporters at an event where he was honoured for his 34 centuries by a Swiss luxury watch firm.

On Friday, Tendulkar roared back to form ahead of the upcoming Test series against England with a strokeful 137 in 136 balls against Railways in the Ranji match.

On his earlier comment on the senior batsman's dismissals, he said, "That was the early part of the season. Some people can be a little bit rusty. India had a rare two months off from international cricket. May be it was a case of rustiness. But he is somebody who would have noticed it himself and studied the videos. So I don't see too much of an issue."

On the series against arch-rivals Pakistan, to be held in between the Test and ODI series against England, Gavaskar clarified that he has no objection but felt the timing was slightly odd as India would have no rest before facing Australia after the long series against the English.

Gavaskar was moved when presented with a watch and said it will be his 25 years of retirement on Monday and also recounted a nightmarish experience in 1971, just before the series against the West Indies.

"In the New York flight I started screaming and the on-board doctor gave me tranquilisers. When we reached an infirmary, the nurse mad a bad face because of the swollen finger and pus.

The doctors told me it was lucky we had a stopover otherwise gangrene would have set in and we would have had to chop that finger off.

"I couldn't play the warm up matches because it was my top hand and I couldn't hold the bat, " he said, adding that he noticed a similar thing in the morning but used a band aid this time around," recollected Gavaskar.